Weight gain in Nursing School

BCGradAlmost · Mar 12, 2009

I find that if I don't drink a lot of sodas I stay much healthier, and I feel a lot better too. With all the stress of school it is really hard to stay fit and healthy that is for sure. I am certainly not a very healthy eater but I do try to be conscious of what I'm eating and work out when I can fit it in. It would also help to get more sleep I am sure but that is also difficult to achieve. I have tried to make sure I am only eating when I'm actually hungry and not just because I am bored. I was realizing that I would pull out junk food because I needed something to keep myself busy while I studied or worked on a project. My body was not hungry, it was just an automatic reaction. It's really hard to balance school with work and eating healthy (at least for me it was).

Hope what little I have to offer helps!

Kittyfeet · Mar 12, 2009

I am about to graduate in may and unfortunately, I've gained like 10 pounds. And quite a few other people in my class have as well, it's pretty common!

I would suggest pre-planning meals... I've grabbed way too much fast food due to time contraints but actually started losing a little weight recently by bringing lunch. Try not to late night snack while you study either. If you are a big coke drinker, maybe switch to water or crystal light or something.

Also as far as excercise I would join a class that you have to go to. It will make you set aside time for it, rather than going to the gym "whenever" which is super easy to skip.

gardenia09 · Mar 12, 2009

hey,

that's a good way to start out. being aware of the weight gain issue. you are right, almost everyone i know has gained weight from nursing school. since you like fruit, you need to snack on that when you feel hungry between meals or when you can't have a complete meal, or even for dessert. the problem is, many students eat on the run and its mostly fast and convienence foods. also, staying up late studying causes us to munch on junk. do not keep junk food in the house. if you feel hungry at school and there are only vending machines around, i would stick with high protein snacks like peanut butter crackers, no chips, or candy bars. its best to bring your own snacks. stay away from soda, which is hard because the caffeine is much needed sometimes. but instead try a stong cup of green tea, which will give you the caffeine as well as antioxidants and boost your metabolism. you can also try bringing water bottles and "spiking" then with "emergen-c", its powdered packets that are basically multivitamins with alot of vitamin c, like an energy drink without the caffeine. i got a few ppl hooked on it. it carbonates the water a lil bit, comes in great flavors and you get vitamins and minerals out of it. its okay to indulge every now and then but not everyday. try to exercise everyday with something fun, not necessarily heavy workouts. i was able to study on my exercise bike. and whenever you think you are hungry drink a glass of cold water and wait 15 mins, if you are still hungry then eat.

hope this helps! :)

fsaav · Mar 12, 2009

I'm in my second semester of nursing school. Last semester we would be sitting in lecture and you could look around and see everyone snacking on Cheetos, potato chips, candy...drinking Coke and Mountain Dew. It was just crazy for us to be future nurses and eating this way. This semester it seems as though everyone has done a 360. We're all in the hospital working with actual patients now and I think it's kind of been a wake up call. We're teaching these patients about healthy lifestyle and exercise habits and it feels wrong to be living so opposite from that. Now you look around and everyone is drinking water...snacking on healthy foods...it's great.

Here's what works for me: I plan out my entire day of eating the night before. That way I know what I'm going to eat, when, and if I need to prepare anything. Then I can't use the excuse of "I was busy so I just grabbed (junk)..." because I'm always busy so my eating would be horrible otherwise. To plan out my meals, calories, etc. I use www.thedailyplate.com which is an online food journal and has been a lifesaver for me. It calculates everything for you, so you just type in what you ate (or what you plan to eat) and it does the work.

I prep most of my produce when I bring it home so it's easy and quick for me just to grab it and go. What has saved me has been using some prepared meals. I was worried about the sodium content at first, but the main things I use are Campbell's Select soups for lunch and Kashi frozen meals for dinner which all have a pretty low sodium content and I stay within a healthy sodium range even eating those. I usually eat an omelet made with Egg Beaters in the morning with veggies which takes only a minute or two to cook or an egg sandwich made with whole grain english muffin, turkey, and reduced-fat cheese. I also love Kashi Heart to Heart cereal for breakfast. I snack on walnuts, almonds, yogurt, low-fat string cheese, all kinds of fruit, cucumbers, Kashi granola bars. Lately I've also been eating a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made with whole grain bread, all-fruit jelly, and natural peanut butter.

For exercise I love Curves. It only takes 30 minutes and I get in weight training and cardio exercise in that time. I go to Curves 3 days a week and try to do some other form of exercise 3 other days, usually walking or exercise tapes.

Oh, I also wanted to add...there are plenty of times I'm just too busy or too worn out and don't feel like cooking. We go out to eat quite often but it is so easy now to find healthy things to eat on the go. Most fast food restaurants have salads with grilled chicken, fruit, grilled chicken sandwiches. Even Taco Bell has some pretty healthy items now with their new "Fresco" menu. I was impressed.

pyunnyhana · Mar 12, 2009

During the first month of nursing school, I was utterly horrified that I had gained 5 pounds.

I am now in my second month of nursing and I have lost those 5 lbs and counting because...

1. I packed my lunches

2. If I study late in the library, I will drink out of my reusable water jug and not buy a cup-of-something from the cafe.

3. I joined a gym and a step aerobics class at school

4. I used to love to eat out at restaurants but since I have no $$ now, I would recreate the recipes at home. One of my favorite foods is pad thai, which is totally easy to make and you can cut so many calories (a pad thai recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil! I only use 1 tablespoon)

5. My parents are Buddhist so we incorporate vegetarian foods in our diet. Go to your local Borders and buy those vegetarian cookbooks that are on sale. I'm sure you'll find something you like

6. I weigh myself to see my progression. Decreasing numbers give me motivation.

miniangel729 · Mar 12, 2009

I lost a lot of weight after getting into the nursing program esp. in the first two week! (~5-7lb @@) mainly due to stress and sometimes just forgot to eat! now i'm in second semester and for some reason i don't really gain the weight back!

I suggest that to pack ur own lunch, like a sandwich, some fruits and yogurt.

and try not to buy fast food/cup noodles. Its gonna be tempting because u won't have much time to cook!

for breakfast.. my classmates would buy multigrain cereal, fruits like banana, apples, oranges.. something they can just grab and go. I use multi-grain/high fiber toast instead of white toast when I make the sandwich, I find I don't get hungry as fast :) and its healthier too.

for snack: almonds, dry fruits, baby carrot, wheat thins, vanilla wafers... theres a lot~ find something u like! find a time shop around =] just make sure to read the labels for calorie/carb/sodium..etc.

I haven't been exercising since the program started :$! *shame on me* but I try to walk as much as can, like instead of take campus shuttle, I'll walk from class to class, take the stairs instead of the elevators. It'd be nice if you could find a friend/classmate to go to the gym together tho!

If you do need to eat out, balance your meal, say if you order a hamburger, don't add the fries. or instead of order a coke, have water.

hope it helps!

deliverator, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 12, 2009

I actually lost weight in my last year of nursing school. I lost 25 lbs. For the last two semesters I was in nursing school, I took a 2 unit PE class which required at least 40 hours of logged workout time in the on campus gym. My workout sessions consisted of 1 hour on the elliptical at 75% of max HR, and for the last hour, stretches, and free weights 3 times a week. On my off days, I would ride bike to the beach or swim. I cut back on fast food, sodas, rice, junk foods, and started counting calories. It's all about calories.

I now weigh less than when I graduated from high school back in 1995.

SteffersRN87, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2009

I probably gained 15 pounds... all from Pizza Hut while doing clinical prep... I at least tried to eat healthy things while sitting in class

2bnurseforce1 · Mar 12, 2009

thanks everyone i got something from all the advice that was given. I will definitely being trying all some of these techniques.

Saifudin · Mar 12, 2009

Eating behavior becomes life long habits. How you eat in school will likely carry over into you career. In fact, the way you eat now, school or not, is something to look at. School won't necessarily change your eating habits if the way you eat is not conducive to good health at the present time.

Many of us just love the taste of fats and sweets, so the fast food industry targets those tastes to the detriment of many. Put a bag of chips in front of me and 'fa get abaaat it'. So, control is the key.

Don't keep the foods that are your 'close friends' around during school. If its nearby, you will eat it! And, if you eat under stress, exam nights, etc., may witness a a 'snack food orgy'. And, don't keep soft drinks in the house. They are nasty (diet or regular) and a complete waste nutritionally, physically and financially. Stick with water!

Try to recognize your eating habits and why you eat certain foods, the times you crave them, etc. Denial is a real problem and we all use it to some degree, making excuses for our behaviors and actions.

Think low gylceimic diet, don't be afraid to eat those fatty foods on occasion but don't make up events to reward yourself. And, try to exercise, even if its a daily walk. If you can develop good lifestyle habits now you will see the rewards increasing as you get older.

2bnurseforce1 · Mar 12, 2009

thanks, its so true about not keeping junk food in the house. I am a person that loves chips, sodas, french fries,..etc. I am not big on cookies, or candy you know. So lately I have been snacking a lot on yogurt and almonds etc, watching my fried foods. I don't belong to a gym but I have a Wii Fit. So what do you guys think about that little gadget. I thought about joining a gym that is $19 a month, no year membership or obligation.